Austin VS The Young Three Admirals

"Ooh~ scary~ Completely caught by Observation Haki, huh?

You're like a monster in strength, Black Gun."

At that moment, a lecherous man in striped clothes with a navy cloak over his shoulders stepped out from among the naval officers.

His tone was dripping with sarcasm, instantly grating on everyone's nerves.

A Vice Admiral, user of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Borsalino.

In response, Austin just smiled with interest and said, "Well... I've long since gotten used to being called a monster.

So, to deal with a monster like me, you're all coming at once? Can't handle it on your own, huh?"

"Black Gun!!! Against a world-threatening scumbag like you, the Navy doesn't need to play by any rules!!!"

"Great Eruption!!!"

Sakazuki didn't want to hear a single word from Austin, nor did he waste any breath. His entire body instantly transformed into searing magma.

Sulfurous fumes rose from him, thick layers of molten lava churned, and even his clothes glowed red.

On his fist, clad in a black leather glove, power rivaling a volcanic eruption gathered and swelled.

He struck with a killing blow from the start. Even from a distance, a wave of heat surged ahead, whipping Austin's long hair wildly in the steam.

The strongest offensive fruit, the Magma-Magma Fruit, huh?

Fair enough. With the force to launch hundreds of tons of volcanic rock thousands of meters into the air, such explosive power was only natural.

Still, this move had its flaw—

It was too slow.

Unlike the Glint-Glint Fruit's supreme mobility or the Ice-Ice Fruit's vast spread, the Magma-Magma Fruit boasted unprecedented attack power but also an absurdly long wind-up.

At least in the face of Austin's Future Sight, this intimidatingly charged Great Eruption had zero chance of landing.

Logia types were indeed blessed by nature, Austin had to admit, But some Paramecia types, tied to conceptual rules, stood above them.

He could easily dodge this attack, but that would go against his intention to unleash his true strength.

After all, it wasn't every day he met opponents on his level. Others were either too weak or too strong.

To this day, Austin had never fought a full-power battle to his heart's content.

That was actually detrimental to the future growth of his Conqueror's Haki.

So...

Staring straight at Sakazuki's molten lava fist, Austin's eyes flashed with red light, utterly devoid of emotion.

Clearly, the future he saw matched his expectations.

"Clang—"

Facing such terrifying magma, Austin slowly clenched one fist, and flowing Armament Haki instantly wrapped around it.

The naval officers, who had spread out to avoid being burned by the high-temperature lava, widened their pupils at the sight.

They could hardly believe it.

"What's that state? Is he seriously planning to clash head-on with Sakazuki?"

"Too reckless! Even with Armament Haki, which can theoretically harm a Logia user's real body, that explosive power and heat—

Even protecting himself with Armament Haki, his hand will be cooked instantly!"

"Arrogant kid!!!"

But Austin's true strength clearly exceeded their expectations.

In the next instant, atop the flowing Armament Haki, streaks of black-red lightning converged once more!

A pressure that made everyone's hearts pound cracked the earth beneath them, as if this force alone carried a terrifying weight just by existing.

"That kid!!!"

This aura instantly drew the attention of the three figures locked in distant combat.

So much so that the fierce battlefield paused for a split second.

"Impossible!!! Using Conqueror's Haki Infusion at age fifteen!?!" Sengoku's eyes blazed with sharp light, veins visible in his pupils.

"Hahahaha! No wonder Roger called him a monster. That kid with the gun has earned the right to vie for the world at such a young age!"

Garp laughed heartily. "Then let's keep him here forever!!!"

"Hey!! You two dare to get distracted while fighting? You're really looking down on me, aren't you!

I'm Golden Lion, dammit!!!"

Clearly, Garp and Sengoku's exchange enraged the lion, and the pressure instantly doubled!

Even Garp and Sengoku faced this power with grave seriousness, let alone Sakazuki, who was still in his twenties.

"What!? This Haki!?"

A few beads of cold sweat trickled down Sakazuki's face, but they quickly evaporated into nothing under the rolling magma. Gritting his teeth, he channeled all his strength.

The Magma-Magma Fruit's explosive power came to the fore at this moment, a colossal fist of molten rock hurtling toward Osborne.

In response, Osborne answered with a full-force Ryou-infused Conqueror's Haki punch.

The two forces collided. The immense pressure and searing heat instantly liquefied the ground beneath them.

BOOM!!!

The two powers locked in stalemate. Strangely, the blistering heat that should have melted flesh and bone seemed unable to directly touch Osborne's fist.

Before his knuckles, crackling with black-red lightning, an invisible barrier seemed to form—the magma simply couldn't break through.

Sakazuki's face twisted in dismay.

The gathered Marines stared in disbelief.

"This is the power of Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Sakazuki!"

"Even your vaunted volcanic force is nothing more than this to me..."

Black-red lightning flickered ceaselessly around his fist. Osborne eyed the magma's eruption, then crouched slightly to gather power.

A terrifying surge of strength rose from his waist.

Before the stunned gazes of the surrounding Marines, the ground within a hundred meters instantly sank, as if buckling under the weight.

The monstrous recoil pressed down upon the earth, its sheer scale a testament to the force behind it.

In an instant, the figure wreathed in black-red lightning and flowing Haki tore straight through the magma giant's fist, appearing before the caught-off-guard Sakazuki.

That silhouette was like a demon king from hell, a crimson gleam flickering in his eyes.

Terrifying Haki coiled around his fist as he wound up.

Sakazuki's chest caved in instantly. The flowing Ryou and Conqueror's Haki Infusion prevented him from turning into his elemental form to defend.

He took the monstrous punch head-on.

His battered state was even more grotesque than when he'd been flattened into a meat patty during the Summit War.

Watching Sakazuki roll his eyes back and spew blood, Osborne considered finishing him off. But the other Marines weren't just decorations.

A barrage of laser beams shot toward him, along with a sweeping glacier. Forced to pull back, Osborne teleported out of the attack range.

Yet the black-red lightning around his fist didn't dissipate.

Under the raging storm, the proud figure in his trench coat stood tall, long hair and coat tails whipping in the wind. A calm smile still graced his handsome face.

His hand gripped Conqueror's Haki Infusion, and the red light in his eyes that saw through the future never faded.

This one man alone drove every young Marine at Marineford to despair.

"So, who's next?"